Gujarat, India
The nation’s largest producer of
cotton and salt, Gujarat is the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. In 2005
and 2006 heavy monsoons caused severe flooding, killing more than 1,000
people and devastating both infrastructure and agriculture. Climate
change is expected to lead to increasingly unpredictable monsoon rains
and floods.
Maladives, Indian Ocean
Famous for its 1,200 tropical
islands, snow-white beaches, swaying palm trees, and richly colored
coral reefs, the Republic of Maldives stretches across more than 600
miles. With 80 percent of the country less than 3.3 feet above sea
level, rising ocean levels and a potential increase in the intensity of
tropical storms pose a serious threat.
Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok is a tropical metropolis
where the traditional East meets the modernity of the West. But
geography exposes it to flooding, especially during the monsoon season.
The city is already sinking due to its soft underground, heavy
urbanization, and excessive pumping of groundwater. Much of Bangkok
could be underwater before the end of the century.
Cherrapunji, India
Shrouded in clouds and
surrounded by waterfalls, Cherrapunji is one of the wettest places on
Earth. Paradoxically, its residents face water shortages, since there is
generally no rain for nearly eight months of the year. Rainfall has
decreased over the last century, and erosion from deforestation limits
the ground’s capacity to store rainwater.
Komodo Island, Indonesia
The sea surrounding Komodo
provides some of the world’s best diving, thanks to its spectacular fish
and coral reefs. The island is also home to Komodo dragons, lizards
that grow up to 10 feet long. Rising sea levels threaten to flood its
mangrove forests and beaches, while increased acidification and rising
surface temperatures may eventually kill the coral.
Mount Al Makmal, Lebanon
At one time the plains and
mountains of Lebanon were densely covered with majestic cedar trees.
Today, the remains of the immense forests are found on the high slopes
of Mount al-Makmal in northern Lebanon. The last ancient cedars face a
severe threat from rising temperatures and decreases in precipitation,
which could leave Makmal’s slopes barren.
Ganges Delta, Bangladesh
Nutrients from the two great
rivers of Ganges and Brahmaputra feed the soil of the paddies in the
low-lying Ganges Delta. Some 300 million people depend on the crops
produced here. The delta spreads over a massive 65,000 square miles.
Climate change could increase rainfall and cause more frequent flooding
and monsoons.
Tokyo
Tokyo is one of the world’s
greatest metropolises. But it now suffers from a phenomenon known as
“heat islands,” a characteristic of mega cities in which artificial heat
from car exhaust and factory emissions creates a local greenhouse
effect. If global temperatures continue to rise, the heat in big cities
like Tokyo could increase.
Tian Shan, Kasakhstan
Farmers and cattle breeders at
the foot of the Tian Shan mountain range have been dependent on
meltwater from Central Asian glaciers for 3,000 years. But in the past
50 years, the glaciers have lost about 36 percent of their mass. With
temperatures projected to increase, water may be limited at a time when
demand is growing quickly.
Kushiro Marsh, Japan
Today the red-crowned crane is
the second-rarest crane species in the world. There are about 1,200 in
Hokkaido, where they breed, stalk the fields, and perform wild courtship
dances.Their habitat is shrinking as massive developments,
deforestation, and rising sea levels threaten the Kushiro marshland.
Mergui Archipelago, Burma
Blue waters and white coral
reefs are home to some of the last surviving nomadic sea hunters and
gatherers in the world. Their very existence is now endangered by
changes in ocean movement and rising sea temperatures, which also
threaten the entire reef ecosystem.
Indus River, Pakistan
Fed by glaciers on the Himalayan
mountains, the Indus runs for 1,900 miles, nourishing temperate
forests, plains, and countryside. The melting of the Tibetan glaciers
and an increasingly irregular precipitation pattern could create more
intense water shortages.
Borneo, Indonesia
Many of the world’s remaining
wild orangutans live in the rainforests of Borneo. But these rainforests
are being stripped of trees as a result of logging, road construction,
and palm-oil plantations. Now rising temperatures are reducing the
abundance of fruit and increasing the incidence of malaria and the risk
of forest fires.
Beijing
Beijing is China’s capital and,
with its huge multilane highways, is a major transportation hub. But the
desert is encroaching on this metropolis. Beijing is plagued by
sandstorms howling in from Inner Mongolia—one storm dumped almost
364,000 tons of sand and dirt on the city in 2005. Rising temperatures
combined with less predictable rain patterns are likely to reduce water
supplies and augment desertification.
Nuwara Eliya, SriLanka
The hillsides here are perfectly
suited for growing tea, which requires an even distribution of rainfall
throughout the year, moderate temperatures, and a sunny climate. Yet
increasing temperatures and drier weather are likely to create droughts
that will reduce the yield and damage many of the plants. Heavier
rainfall could also cause soil erosion and landslides.
Lake Baikal, Russia
Lake Baikal in southern Siberia
is the world’s oldest and deepest lake, containing more water than all
of North America’s Great Lakes combined. The lake’s biodiversity has
adapted to cold, long winters, but its waters have been warming over the
last several decades. If temperatures continue to rise as projected,
the entire ecosystem could suffer.
Sulu Sulawesi Sea, Malayasia
Historically, the Bajau people
have lived a nomadic seafaring life in this tropical monsoon climate.
But traditional life is growing increasingly complicated. Overfishing
and other illegal tactics such as blasting and poison-fishing are
damaging the coral reefs. Rising sea-surface temperatures and increasing
acidification only exacerbate this problem.
Me Kong Delta, Vietnam
A lush area of vast plantations
and one of Vietnam’s largest rice-, vegetable-, and fruit-producing
regions, the delta is threatened by upstream dams and pollution. The
projected rise in sea level could increase saltwater intrusion into
freshwater ponds and rice fields. It could also cause flooding, leading
to a loss of cropland and mangroves.
Empty Quarter, Saudi Arabia
The Empty Quarter is the largest
continuous sand sea in the world. For centuries, Bedouin communities
have survived in this vast wilderness. The vegetation—scattered herbs,
shrubs, and weeds—feeds the Bedouins’ livestock, and this sensitive
ecosystem is particularly vulnerable to increasing temperatures.
Bayan Olgii, Mangolia
Today, half of the nearly 3
million Mongolians still live as herdsmen. They lead a pastoral way of
life, moving around in search of pastures for their livestock and sites
for their gers, round, moveable dwellings. Rising temperatures and
changing rainfall patterns could expand the Gobi desert, threatening the
nomadic way of life.
Amman, Jordan
This city of 3 million, perched
on hills between the desert and the fertile valley below, draws its
drinking and irrigation water from the Jordan River. Yet the river’s
flow has decreased in recent decades. Temperature rises and
precipitation drops are expected to increase the severity of water
shortages, fueling tension in the region.
Altai Mountains, Russia
The Russian section of this
mountain range is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List because of its diverse
plant life, which varies from steppe to mixed forest to alpine
vegetation. Temperatures have been rising over the last century and a
significant reduction of the permafrost is expected in the coming
decades, threatening this unique natural habitat.
Sagarmatha Himilayas, Nepal
The highest mountain in the
world, Mount Everest, is known to the Nepalese as Sagarmatha. This
high-altitude landscape of snow and rock is home to the snow leopard,
musk deer, and red panda. Two thirds of the Himalayan glaciers have
retreated significantly, a trend that could lead to rapid expansion of
glacial lakes, causing floods and landslides.
Yangtze River
Stretching for 3,900 miles from
the Tibetan plateau to the East China Sea, the Yangtze is the longest
river in Asia. Due to the diminishing of the Tibetan glaciers, the flow
of the once mighty Yangtze could dwindle during the dry season in the
future, reducing the availability of fresh water in large parts of China
all year round and lowering rice yields.
Mount Chomo, Bhutan
The ruins of Sey Dzong, a
17th-century fortress monastery, lie at the foot of the holy mountain of
Chomo Lhari. For centuries, the population has depended on melt water
from the glaciers of the high mountains to irrigate their farmland. As
melt-off from the glaciers increases, the rapidly increasing flow of
water could pose a serious threat.
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